Celebrity Dancer Tuyet Minh urges public not to consume bear bile

Hanoi, October 6th 2015 - Well-known Vietnamese dancer, Tuyet Minh appeared in Education for Nature-Vietnam’s (ENV’s) latest public service announcement (PSA), urging the public to use modern medicine instead of bear bile to help put an end to the cruel and illegal bear bile industry.

In the PSA, Tuyet Minh develops bruising on her wrists after performing a beautiful aerial silks dance routine. Her assistant suggests that she treat the bruises with bear bile, but she strongly refuses. As a professional dancer with extensive experience treating her own aches and pains, she sends viewers a wise message: “Bear bile is not a magical medicine. If you get bruises or have health issues, seek modern and effective treatment instead.”

In Vietnam, bear bile has been used as a traditional medicine to treat bruises and other ailments for generations, but its use poses a critical threat to bear populations. In 2005, more than 4,300 bears were in captivity for bile extraction. Even though the number of captive bears has dropped to approximately 1,250 (as of early 2015), and the demand for bear bile has decreased 61% (according to a 2014 study), the work to protect bears and end bear farming is far from over.

“In order to end the cruel and illegal bear bile industry, the Vietnamese public must stop consuming bear bile," says Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung, ENV’s Vice Director. "Advances in medicine over the past several decades have lowered costs and improved treatments. It’s time for people to put their trust in modern medicine and stop believing in old myths.”

This PSA is the 26th television public service announcement released by ENV and is part of a long-term campaign to reduce consumer demand for products made from endangered wildlife.

ENV gratefully acknowledges World Animal Protection for their long-term partnership to help end bear farming in Vietnam and for their valuable support in producing this PSA. ENV would also like to thank national and provincial TV channels, VTV Cab, An Vien TV (AVG), VTC Digital, and International Media Joint Stock Company (IMC) for airing the film and enabling this important message to reach millions of people across Vietnam.